Method and apparatus for continuous wire feeding



Dec. 30, 1930. c. F. BAILEY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WIRE FEEDING Filed June 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INYENTEIR- AI-ff "30,1930. QF'BAILEY 1,787,301

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WIRE FEEDING Filed June 21, 1929. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I WAT-ELI Patented Dec. 30, 1930 UNITED .STATES- PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. BAILEY, OF PEOBIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KEYSTONE STEEL & WIRE COMPANY, OF PEOBLA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WIRE FEEDING Application filed June 21,

This invention has referenceto a method for continuous wire feeding and to the apparatus by means of which the method may be successfully carried on.

The invention has for its principal object a method for continuous wire feedlng which consists in providing coils or bundles of wire; feeding off the wire from the front of one coil or'bundle and during such feeding weld the end of the wire at the rear of said coil or bundle to the end of the wire at the front of another coil or bundle, whereby when one coil or bundle of wire is depleted the wire is fed from the other coil or bundle, and successively adding coils or bundlesof wire as each is depleted and welding the wire of one coil or bundle to the wire of another coil or bundle and alternately and continuously feeding the wire from alternate coils or bundles.

This method of continuous wire feeding is especially applicable in connection with machines for making welded wire fabrics, such as are used in concrete reinforcing and where the fabric is composed of a series of spaced longitudinal wires and spaced stay wires which are fed from a continuous feed wire across the longitudinal wires and welded thereto at their intersections. By this method, interruptions in the feed of the stay feed wires are substantially, if not entirely, done away with and when used will increase the capacity of the machine to such a great extent that the cost of operations is reduced to a minimum. This should be perfectly obvious, since the operator can supply new and additional coils or bundles of wire during the feeding operation and, also, during said feeding operation and without any disturbance he can weld the wire of one coil or bundle toanother and successively and alternately supply his feed wire continuously from alternate coils or bundles.

The apparatus by means of which the method is made effective, comprises a stand or support provided with superimposed pivoted arms over which a bundle or coil of wire may be placed, the upper arm provided with means for adjustably determining its angularity with respect to its support and ower arm, and the lower arm adapted to rest 1929. Serial No. 372,624.

on the base of the support, whereby to restrain, to a certain extent, the'wire as 1t is fed from the coil or bundle; and in the provision of overlying means to prevent more than one coil from leaving the bundle and the arms, at a time.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this description, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 shows in plan and in a more or less diagrammatic way a pair of supports on which have been placed coils or bundles of wire with the end of the wire at the rear of one coil or bundle welded to the end of the wire at the front of another coil or bundle, and the end of the wire at the front of the first mentioned coil or bundle being fed forward by suitable feeding rollers or equivalent means, so that when one coil or bundle is depleted the wire being continuously fed will be drawn from alternate coils or bundles;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the apparatus; I

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2, with one of the members being shown in full and dotted line positions, and

Fig. 4 is detail in plan, partly in section, as the same would appear if taken on the line H, Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts thruout the figures.

An apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention would comprise a stand or support, including a base member 1, an inclined rest 2 extending up from said base and braced by means of a standard 3. The rest is provided with, preferably two sets of spaced and substantially overlying slots 4 and 5 and centrallythereof and therebetween with an additional slot 6. i

7 denotes, what will be termed the lower arm and 8 denotes, what will be termed the upper arm. Both these arms are bowed and the free ends of the lower arm pass thru slots 4 in the rest 2 and are pivotally connected to clips or hinge plates 9 secured on the rear side of said rest, while the free ends of the lower arm pass thru slots 5 in said rest 2 and are pivotally connected to clips or hinge plates 10, also, secured on the rear side of said rest 2, see Figs. 3 and 4. The

this arrangement the front end of the arm 8 may be raised 01' lowered and its angularity in relation to the rest and the lower arm fixed in difierent positions. Also, said upper and lower arms may be moved toward each other to facilitate the'easy placing of a coil or bundle of wire thereon and the lower arm dropped and the upper arm supported in a diverged relation thereto to support the bundle or coil of wire resting against the rest 2. The frontend of the lower arm 7 will restrain, to a certain extent, the wire as it is drawn or fed from the coil or bundle.

I provide, in addition. a means to prevent more than .one coil of wire leaving the bundle, at a time, This means comprises a bar 14 pivoted at 15 to a removable support 16 on the rest 2. The point of pivoting the bar 14 is at a suitable distance above the pivoted ends of the arm 8 so that said bar normally extends forwardly and downwardly, overlying the cross-brace 11, and

- when a bundle or coil of wire is on the arms 7 and 8, the free end of said bar overlies or overhangs the bundle, whereby to retard the coils as they are unwound and allows only one coil to pass off the arms 7 and 8, at a time, and as will appear, as each coil is reeled ofl of the arms 7 and 8 the bar 14 will rise to allow the same to pass therefrom, and fall-H ing again in time toengage the next and succeeding coil.

By hinging or pivoting the arms 7 and 8 on the rear side of the rest 2, it is obvious that there are no obstructions or projections von the front side of the rest on which a coil of-a bundlemay get caught, and thereby retard or slow up operations of feeding. Furthermore, attention is called to the fact that it is comprehended herein to change the size or weight of the flipper bar 14 to meet conditions resulting from feeding different gauges of wire. Alight bar will serve for light gauges of wire butthe bar must be heavler when feeding the heaviergauges of wlre.

Fig. 1 discloses the method of continuous wlrefeeding by thev use of the apparatus shown and described. -In this figure,'feed rolls or equivalent means are indicated as A and two of the apparatus described are placed in relation to each other and to'the said feed rolls so that wire fed fromcoils or bundles sustained on each apparatus may be directed therefrom and to the said feed rolls without hindrance.

Each apparatus is shown supplied with a coil or bundle of wire B, and with the end of the wire from the rear of one coil or bundle having been welded at a to the end of the wire from the front of the other coil or bundle. From the front of the first mentioned coil the wire is being fed by the feed rolls, and when this coil or bundle is depleted it is obvious that the feeding operation goes on continuously, but the supply will now come from the other coil or bundle. During this latter operation, the operator will supply a new coil or bundle, placingit on the apparatus just depleted of its wire and weld the wire at the front of its coil or bundle to the end of the wire at the rear of the other coil or bundle. Suffice it is to say, therefore, that the continuous feeding operation may be carried on by feeding the wire alternately from one coil or bundle and then another and by replacing each coil or bundle as fast as it is depleted and welding the wires of the respective coils or bundles in the manner described.

What I claim is 1. The method for continuous and uniform wire feeding which consists in providing a plurality of spaced and independent bundles of coiled wire; welding the end of the wire .at the rear of one bundle to' the end of the wire at thefrontof another bundle; feeding off the wire from the front of the first mentioned bundle and when the wire of said bundle is completed automatically transferring the feeding of wire to the other bundle, and continuing such method of feeding by supplying additional bundles of coiled wire and welding the wires of the respective bundles together .and alternately furnishing a continuous supply of wire by transference of feed from one bundle to the other.

2. The method foncontinuous wire feeding which consists in providing a plurality of spaced and independent bundles 'of coiled wire; feeding of the wire off of the front of one bundle and during such feeding welding the end of the wire at the rear of said bundle to the end of the wire at the front of another bundle, whereby when one bundle is depleted of its wire the feeding is transferred to the other bundle, and successively adding other bundlesof coiled wire as each bundle is depleted and welding the wire ofone' bundle to the wire of another bundle and alternately and continuously feeding the wire from alternate bundles of wire.

3. The method of continuous wire feeding from alternate spaced and independent bundles'of coiled wire, which consistsin connecting the wire in one bundle to the wire in another bundle; feeding off the wire from one bundle and when such bundle is depleted automatically transferring the feeding ofl. of

the wire to the 'otherbundle, without stoppage of the feeding, and successively supplying new bundles of coiled wire for each depleted bundle, connecting the wire of .each successively placed bundle to the wire of another bundle and continuously feeding of the wire from alternate bundles.

4;. In an apparatus of the character described. the combination of a support having an inclined rest, upper and lower arms pivoted't-o the rear side of said rest and extending thru and forwardly of said rest. means on the upper re'st adapted to coact with said rest to change its angularity with respect thereto and to said lower arm, and a bar pivoted to said rest above said upper arm and extending forward and adapted to coact with a bundle of coiled wire supported by said arms.

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a support having an inclined rest, means to support a bundle of coil wire against said restcomprising a pair of spaced upper and lower arms, the lower arm adapted to restrain the wire uncoiled from such a bundle, means to adjust the angularity of tlie upper arm in respect to the rest and said lower arm, means pivoted on the rest and overlying sucha bundle of wire to prevent morethan one coil of wire uncoiling from the bundle, at a time, and means to allow for changing of weight of said last named means for bundles of wire of di'lferent gauge. I

CHARLEv F. BAILEY. 

